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Wednesday, April 15, 2015

"Fixer Upper" Inspired Farmhouse Hutch

Don't you love when things turn out better than you thought they would? In life I would say that that is a rarity.Well whenever I see a piece for a good price and have some makeover ideas immediately run through my brain, I think "I GOTTA GET THAT!" And then once I pick it up I doubt myself and worry that I made a mistake. That kind of happened with this oak hutch.My hubby and I picked it up from someone locally that had posted it on VarageSale...an app or website that combines lots of local "sell your stuff" sites into one. I find that you get better deals than on Craigslist and all of them are super close to you since it is done by city (smaller inventory though). I bought the hutch with some oak stools that I thought were awesome, but after talking to my sister and asking my FB peeps, everyone seemed to agree that they should just be re-sold as is. I sold them that day for a small profit, and putting the profit towards the purchase of this hutch, I ended up getting the hutch for $15! Score.

I researched white paint colors since I wanted more of a true white than I had on hand, and settled on "Pure White" by Benjamin Moore; however, I didn't want to pay for Benjamin Moore paint, so I had Home Depot make it using Glidden. I also wanted chalk paint qualities so I learned from InMyOwnStyle that you ask for the "contractor" paints since they come without the built in primer (I got the Pure White color match for under $19/gallon...not bad). I wanted it in satin finish, but that kind of paint doesn't come in satin so I got the closest option---eggshell. I then used this recipe with the calcium carbonate I had on hand (that I bought from my local Vitamin Cottage, but Amazon also sells it)

InMyOwnStyle really goes into all the different chalk paint recipes she uses, and that woman sure knows her stuff! Plus there are a million questions, and she has answered almost every single one. Dang. I found that you can use your paint sprayer when using the chalk paint mixture, but I found I had to keep adding a little bit of water each time until my sprayer liked the thinner consistency (it splatters all over if it is too thick).

Also, in researching everything about this chalk paint concoction, I did not need to prime my furniture first, just lightly sand everything and wipe it down.

So here is the before:

The stained glass, although pretty with the little roses, was too outdated. Fortunately there was simple hardware holding it in and I just took those out within a couple minutes.

I removed the hardware and put a little bit of painters tape right inside the drawer faces to prevent paint from being sprayed in. Also, the hardware was a little too frilly for the look I was going for, so the bronze piece that the knob went through, I decided not to use them, and thus had to use a little wood putty to fill in the tiny exposed holes that they went in.

Then I painted. After painting, I waxed everything with Annie Sloan soft wax I had on hand. Then I sanded down areas (that I thought should be distressed) using 100-150 grit. Then I waxed over the areas I distressed.

And let me tell you a little secret I learned about "buffing" the wax...a job I normally hate because it is so much work with very little return... rather than buffing with an old baby onesie, I found that my Makita palm sander with 220 grit (or higher) sandpaper works great on the big flat surfaces. It makes the waxed surface feel soft and smooth, and not waxy or sticky. Feels pretty professional actually. Use with caution, and buff like normal the nooks and crannies, but try it out...it worked like a charm.

I then bought chicken wire at Home Depot and bought the grid looking kind first ($8 roll). After coming home, I looked on Pinterest and saw that more pins showed hutches with authentic chicken wire ($6 roll). I exchanged the two different kinds, and cut the wire using wire clippers I had in our basic toolbox. I then used my hubby's staple gun and stapled the pieces to the back of the cupboard doors (scratchy little project).

Awesome transformation huh?!

Here's some more pictures of how it turned out...

And one more in case you want to pin the how-to and reference later...

What do you think? Since I am selling this piece I can only hope it goes to some awesome home that resembles any of the house makeovers courtesy of Chip and Joanna Gaines of HGTV's show "Fixer Upper". What is crazy to me is that this hutch has created more buyer interest than any other piece I have done...well actually the black bunkbeds created a similar frenzy...but you never can tell what items will be super easy to sell and what won't.

Anyway, have any of you tried homemade chalk paint before? How was your experience? Have any of you tried chalk paint in your paint sprayer? Now that makes chalk paint worth it. I will NEVER handpaint chalk paint on to anything ever again like I did on my piano (my first chalk paint project). Yes that was necessary, but the number of coats, and thus days, to paint makes any chalk paint project seem ridiculous.

Also, I'd love to hear from you if you have ever used chicken wire for another project? What did you use it for? I have a lot left over and would love some ideas ;)

Hope this inspires you to redo or create something! Thanks for your support and don't forget to leave a comment...they make my day!

Jennifer I can't tell you how happy I am to have a comment! Thank you! And if you ever need some tips about a specific updating project you want to tackle I'd be happy to help you start in any way I can!

lovely!! i did something to one of these but i removed the top half and used the natural wood, that i cut, and made into three large blackboards. the lower half i painted WHITE handles and all..put a glass top on it (a door off a sterio unit) and now a T.V. and a lamp sit on it....wasnt sure of white however, since have painted a old lounge in white and covered in black and white cushions...just love yours

I use the wagner control spray max. My friend got it before me and loved it and after research on amazon and other sites it blows the competition out it the water. The best $90 investment ever. I talk about it more on this post: http://www.mimiberrycreations.com/2015/05/10-things-to-help-you-redo-furniture.html

I found this on Pinterest so am a tad late with my comment. ;) I love this project. It turned out wonderful. I am going to do the chicken wire on an upper corner door in my kitchen that had the insert out when we bought our home. I like it open looking but the chicken wire will be icing on the cake. :) Unfortunately my cabinets are beautiful oak and my husband won't let me paint them white. Yet! lol I have used homemade chalk paint before but not with a sprayer. I am definitely investing in one before I use any again. Thanks for your tips.

Great to hear from you Nancy! And I love late comments! No such thing as it since I love them whenever they come. I bet that door in your kitchen will be darling! And love your spunk with the "yet" comment...totally know what you mean ;). Good luck!

I have that same cabinet/hutch! I want to paint mine, too. It's so dated looking. Why did you choose paint without primer in it? Can I use paint with primer? I've painted an end table with behr paint, using calcium carbonate. I think it had the primer in it. Is there a difference?

Great question! To be honest I think using a paint with primer will be just fine. 9 times out of 10 I use paint with primer for my furniture redo projects, but for this I wanted to make sure it had a soft almost chalk-like finish that would be easy to distress. Not only is the paint without primer cheaper in cost, I feel like it mimics the chalk paint more accurately. However, I am all about saving costs and effort and using what I have on hand. You might have to work a little more to sand/distress the areas you want to look chippy, but that is all I can think will be impacted. Hope that helps :). Good luck updating your hutch! I'd love to hear how it goes!

About Mimiberry

I'm mimiberry, well Mimi Crisenberry, but you catch the drift. I'm the lucky mom of 4 awesome little boys. I choose to create (on a budget) because it brings me peace amidst the wildness and chaos. Drawing, painting, sawing, building, photoshopping, scoring deals, and giving life to old things makes me happy, so this is pretty much a blog of happiness.

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